Planning Out Your College Career

Believe it or not, a lot of people come into college without any idea of what they want to do with their lives—and that is perfectly and completely fine. Freshman year should be a time to experiment and broadly follow your interests, but it's important to eventually develop at least a general idea of what subject you'd like to dive deeper into.

You don't want to go into a sudden panic when the time comes to declare your major, so start thinking about what you'd like to study in advance. From casual conversations with friends to conferences with academic advisors, in college there are so many resources to help you figure out what you want to do. Talk to upperclassmen who are already majoring in a concentration you're considering and work out the pros and cons of each field and major.

Personally, I'm partial to mapping out a rough schedule for myself for the next few years. Of course I know I am likely to make some changes here and there, but making a tentative schedule makes me feel a little calmer about the uncertainty of the future. It helps me to keep track of credits, requirements, and prerequisites so I know that I'm at least accomplishing something that will help me graduate while still exploring my interests.

By the time freshman year is over, you'll find that you've learned so much more about yourself and your passions. Hopefully you'll get a better picture of what you want to pursue and from there you can set off to chase thatdream. Do what makes you happy, don't be afraid to make mistakes, and there's no reason why you can't achieve whatever you so desire.